


Six Go Stones

by aiwritingfic



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Childhood, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-06-08
Updated: 2007-06-08
Packaged: 2017-10-29 23:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/325465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiwritingfic/pseuds/aiwritingfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six-year-old Touya Akira is left beside the pond one afternoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Six Go Stones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chaineddove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaineddove/gifts), [stillskies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillskies/gifts).



Touya Akira sat on the bench, the tips of his toes barely touching the ground. He watched as a butterfly flew past him, brilliant emerald and gold glittering in the sunlight. It hovered and fluttered, then hovered again, finally visiting a few flowers on Akira's right.

The butterfly rested, its iridiscent wings moving slowly. Open, close, open, close. Akira wondered what sort of butterfly it was. From where he sat, it looked to be about the size of a cluster of six go stones. Six go stones. Yesterday, Tomoka-chan in the class next to his had drawn a butterfly that looked like six red-and-blue go stones.

Something passed a handspan before Akira's nose, and he nearly fell backwards, instinctively moving away before he saw what it was. On either side of his thighs, his fingers gripped the wooden slats of the bench beneath him as the butterfly, possibly similarly alarmed, flew away. "I'm sorry I startled you," Akira said to the retreating butterfly politely. It was polite to apologize, even though the butterfly had surprised him too.

He watched it fly out over the pond before him. The water did not look very deep. Akira guessed that it would come up to his waist at most; he had seen a gardener wade knee-deep through it, once. There were stones there beneath the surface, rounded and grey, some darker than others. If Akira used his imagination, it looked like a very large goban, as large as the universe, perhaps. He wondered if the stones at the bottom of the water would form recognizable shapes. Maybe he would see Father's there. It was too far to see very clearly, and for a moment, Akira pondered the merits of leaving the bench to stand by the water's edge. Mother had told him not to venture too near the pond, though, and he obeyed her even now. She didn't tell him to do silly things, and her advice was always good.

"Akira-san? It's time to leave."

He stood, hopping off the bench. "Coming, Mother," he replied, turning neatly towards her.


End file.
